


The Darkness Before the Dawn

by Snailsway



Category: Twosetviolin
Genre: AU, M/M, Romance, Starcrossed Lovers, asian drama style revenge plot lol, ceo!eddy, really cliche, very nonsensical
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29110842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snailsway/pseuds/Snailsway
Summary: Edward Chen was one of the richest heirs in Singapore, rumored to be kind and philanthropic, a complete gentleman with no scandals whatsoever, but very much taken, engaged to a beautiful, young socialite and utterly in love with her...But at that moment, Edward Chen was staring at him, Brett Yang. Brett couldn’t see all that clearly from this distance, but he sensed that there was something more in that gaze than was appropriate for a man with a fiancé.At that moment, a vague plan began to form in Brett’s mind.(Inspired by their bebe pictures and also their recent tiktok...Twoset is actually an AU plot generator, who knew) (pls note the tags)
Relationships: Eddy Chen/Brett Yang
Comments: 21
Kudos: 80





	The Darkness Before the Dawn

Brett opened his violin case and cursed. He knew he’d left something out. “Sorry, can I borrow some rosin from anyone? I accidentally...forgot...mine…”

Silence. Some contestants viewed him with sympathy, others with plain amusement, but no one offered to help. Brett rolled his eyes -- of course no one offered to help, how stupid was he -- and shut his case again. He was beginning to wonder if he should just give this one up when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Brett looked up into a handsome, smiling face. 

“Here, some rosin,” said the guy. 

Their eyes met and there was a moment of stillness. Brett’s heart sped up unnaturally. The other man’s smile grew; he pressed the rosin cake into the palm of Brett’s hand, and Brett felt a tiny shock from where their fingers touched. 

“Th-thanks,” he stammered.

“No worries, man. Good luck. I’m sure you’ll do great.” 

The man gave Brett a casual pat on the arm before slipping away. 

  
*  
  


It was only revealed in the afternoon that the guy wasn’t just another contestant. 

“I’d like to welcome our special guest, Edward Chen, to the stage, to announce today’s winner. As many of you may know, Mr. Chen is the CEO of Pony Records, one of the most famous, if not most _the_ famous classical record company of our time. Moreover, Mr. Chen is also a distinguished violinist himself. We are honored . . . . . .”

Brett’s blinked a few times, but the illusion persisted. The handsome young man from earlier--in his casual jeans and wrinkled shirt--was walking on stage and was now looking down at the audience with the same, kind smile. His gaze landed on Brett in the front row and lingered. 

“Edward Chen…” Brett couldn’t help murmuring. 

The contestant next to Brett eyed him curiously. “You know him?” 

Brett shook his head. Not anymore, he didn’t. He only knew what he’d read in the papers--that Edward Chen was one of the richest heirs in Singapore, that he was rumored to be kind and philanthropic, a complete gentleman with no scandals whatsoever, but very much taken, engaged to a beautiful, young socialite and utterly in love with her...

But at that moment, Edward Chen was staring at _him_ , Brett Yang. Brett couldn’t see all that clearly from this distance, but he sensed that there was something more in that gaze than was appropriate for a man with a fiancé. 

At that moment, a vague plan began to form in Brett’s mind. 

  
  
  


“Wait! Mr. Chen!”

The award ceremony had ended, and Brett was chasing Eddy Chen down the steps of the building. Eddy paused and waited for him.

“I wanted to thank you, Mr. Chen, for earlier. I couldn’t have won without your help…”

Eddy chuckled. “Please, call me Eddy. And not at all. It was just rosin. You played beautifully, that’s why you won.”

“You heard? And you liked it?”

“Very much.”

Brett peered at Eddy through his lashes with a joyful smile that just bordered on coy. “I’m glad to hear that.” He noted with satisfaction the brief look of interest that flashed across Eddy’s face. “And you really did save me just now. If there’s anything I can do to thank you…”

Eddy suggested hesitantly, “Well, how about...you could let me buy you dinner?”

“What? You don’t mean...but, no--”

“Ah, sorry, perhaps I’m being presumptuous?”

Brett blushed. “No, that’s not it. It’s just that I feel like _I_ should be treating _you_?”

“But you would be, if you let me buy you dinner.”

Brett stole a quick glance at Eddy, who was smiling at him rather charmingly, and acquiesced with a shy nod.

*

Eddy was a skilled lover, Brett had to give him that. In no time at all, he had Brett writhing beneath him on the hotel bed, flushed with pleasure. It’s like he knew exactly how to make Brett lose control. Brett didn’t even have to fake it. 

“Why so quiet?” Eddy whispered as Brett tried to suppress his moans. “I want to hear your voice.” As he said this, he thrust harder into Brett, eliciting a small scream. 

“ _Eddy_ ,” Brett whimpered helplessly. He covered his eyes with his hands, as if he might be able to hide from Eddy, or his own desire. Eddy laughed low in his throat. He took Brett’s wrists gently but firmly and held them above his head. “Brett, look at me.”

When Brett came seconds later, he found himself drowning in Eddy Chen’s warm brown eyes, unable to look away.

  
  
  


_Gentleman my ass_ , Brett thought after the fact, limp and exhausted. As if hearing his thoughts, Eddy’s arms tightened, clasping Brett closer to his chest, so close that Brett felt as if he might suffocate in the warm embrace.

Eddy’s breathing had already evened out, and Brett envied him. He knew there would be no sleep for him that night.

*

The first time they met, they were still living in Taiwan and Brett was still a dumpling of a child, all white and round, his face puckered in distress. He turned to the boy sitting next to him and whispered, “What are you going to play?” 

The boy, a very prim and proper kind of child, and clearly not expecting to be chatted up in the middle of the recital, looked at him in consternation and said _shh._

Brett pouted. “I’m so nervous I could die. I hate the piano. I’m so much better at the violin. I’m going to mess up for sure. What should I do?”

His neighbor’s expression shifted to panicked exasperation. “ _Shh_ , we shouldn’t talk while she’s playing.”

Brett stared at him balefully. “But I’m nervous.”

The other boy frowned, then took something from his pocket and pressed it into the palm of Brett’s hand. 

“What’s this? Ooh, _chocolate_!” Brett exclaimed, even louder than before. 

One of the teachers sitting nearby turned and glared at him. Brett bowed his head apologetically, but soon as the teacher looked away, gave the boy beside him a bright grin. “I love this kind,” he whispered as he popped the chocolate in his mouth. 

The boy reluctantly returned a small smile. “Hope that helps, then,” he said diplomatically before turning back to the recital.

  
  
  


In the end, Brett’s performance went pretty well and it was with a renewed skip in his step that he bounded out of the recital hall. Near the exit, he ran into the boy again, and as their parents launched into boring adult chatter, he smiled cheerfully and said, “Thanks for the chocolate! So what’s your name?”

The boy glanced at Brett warily. “Chen Weicheng …”

“Cool, I’m Yang Boyao. But why didn’t you play anything?”

“I’m just here for my sister...I actually play the violin.”

“Wait, me too! The violin is so much better, right? But what’d you think of my performance? Pretty good, right?”

“Uh...yeah, it wasn’t too bad…”

“I think the chocolate helped a lot. Do you have more--”

Just then, Brett’s mom cut in and said, “Yaoyao, we gotta go. Say bye to your new friend. He can come over some other time.”

Brett pouted but obediently waved goodbye to Eddy. To this day though, Brett didn’t know why he did what he did next. For some reason, while the parents were caught up in their farewells to each other, nine-year-old him pranced up to Eddy and gave him a peck on the cheek.

“Thanks again.” 

He remembered Eddy staring at him, frozen, with a beet-red face. 

  
  


  
That summer, their fathers went into business together and Eddy ended up coming over a lot. Brett remembered wasting a number of hot, long days with Eddy, playing video games and listening to music and buying popsicles and pastries from the streets below. And somewhere during all of that, Eddy’s attitude towards him thawed, and a kind, gentle soul peeked out from behind the shy and cold exterior. They became best friends. 

Brett, being older and more outgoing, naturally dominated the relationship and Eddy seemed content enough to let him take the reins. Even as Eddy slimmed down and grew taller and started attracting attention from girls, he remained plastered to Brett’s side, a willing partner in crime to Brett’s every prank, a constant, soothing, indispensable presence that made Brett feel safe and invincible. 

  
  
  


The carefree days of childhood came to an abrupt end just before Brett turned fourteen.

How could anyone have guessed that Eddy’s dad would throw Brett’s dad under the bus to make a quick profit? Almost overnight, Brett’s family became saddled with tens of millions worth of debt, and they just barely made it out of Taiwan before Brett’s father took his own life, seeing no other way forward. Brett still remembered those times, still remembered the confusion and despair that colored his whole world. Everything had changed.

It was fifteen years later now, and Eddy was heir to one of the biggest fortunes in the world, while Brett was a nobody with a shattered family. 

  
Thinking these thoughts, Brett felt chilled to the bone, even as he lay in Eddy’s suffocatingly warm embrace. 

*

Eddy was a considerate lover. So considerate that it almost made Brett feel guilty.

At first, Brett hadn’t thought that far. He thought it would just be a one-night stand, and that he could somehow expose Eddy as a gay playboy to the press and cause a small scandal. That was about the extent of his spontaneous plan. But the next morning, Eddy was still there, smiling at him as he awakened. 

“Are you hungry? We can get room service, but I also know a really good place close by, if you’re free.” 

Brett had stared at Eddy uncomprehendingly for a few moments, waiting for the catch. But there was none. It had felt almost surreal.

Then after that, it was like Eddy had transformed into the boy Brett had once known, ready to indulge Brett’s every whim. 

“You probably don’t want people to know about us,” Brett had remarked once, a bit melancholically. But actually, Eddy didn’t seem to care at all. 

Eddy took Brett to the movies just because Brett nonchalantly commented that he was interested in the new film that had come out. He took Brett to the trendiest, most expensive Japanese restaurant just because Brett said he liked matcha desserts. 

He took Brett to the amusement park, only because Brett had stared at the ad on the bus for a second longer than usual. He bought Brett ice cream and a balloon to hold, and held his hand as they meandered through throngs of children. That afternoon, Brett could almost believe that they were a real couple. 

At night, they no longer went to hotels. Instead, Eddy invited Brett over and they had sex in Eddy’s bed and Eddy was there to hold Brett and kiss him back to sleep when he woke up from the nightmares. 

Brett felt guilty, because he almost wanted it, almost wanted to just give up the game and succumb to Eddy’s gentle indulgence.

  
*  
  


Singapore was only so large though and in no time at all, Eddy’s infidelity made headlines, the engagement was off, and Eddy’s name was dragged through the mud. Brett may or may not have sold their photos to the reporters. 

“You must be mad at me,” he said. 

He had just given his first concert as a soloist on his first strad, all gifts from Eddy. He knew half the audience was there for the gossip or to watch him fail, but still, he had given a magnificent performance and that was all that mattered.

Eddy was the first and only person to show-up backstage. He presented Brett with a bouquet of roses. It was cheesy, but Brett’s heart softened anyway.

“Not really. I hardly knew her," Eddy replied carelessly. "It was just for show.” 

“You should be mad. You had a perfect life before you met me.”

“My life was meaningless before you came.” 

Brett straddled Eddy on the couch and stared into his eyes. They were limpid and bright, with nothing but sincerity. Brett closed his own eyes and leaned forward for a kiss. Kissing--sex--that part was easier. Better to dispense with the feelings. No one needed that. 

Only, Eddy didn’t push him onto the couch and take him, the way he’d expected. Instead, he kissed Brett back slowly, carefully, like Brett was something precious to him…

*

The response from Eddy’s family was delayed but explosive.

“What the _fuck_. Okay, I can tolerate you having a little affair--who doesn’t have a bit of fun in their youth--but you dare bring the little shit _here,_ to my _home_?”

Eddy took a sip of his coffee, as if he were totally unbothered. “He’s my boyfriend, father. You remember him, don’t you? Yang Boyao. You used to work with his father, I believe.”

Mr. Chen’s eyes widened. They filled with agitation and rage as he turned to stare at Brett. “It’s you--you…”

Brett’s body trembled. He had imagined this moment many times, but now, he found that he couldn’t say anything. 

“Eddy Chen, you can’t be serious! Then it’s on purpose. He’s here to ruin you! To ruin us! You--”

“I love him.”

Thereafter, the house reverberated with loud expletives, the smashing of furniture, dramatic sobbing from the women, before everything came to an end with the very cliche, “You’re not my son anymore, you hear that? Get the fuck out of my house!”

Eddy shrugged elegantly. He took Brett’s hand and they walked out of there together.

*

They wandered aimlessly to the empty park nearby. The day was hot and humid, like one of those beautiful summer days in Taiwan, now long gone. Eddy was still holding his hand, which was cold and damp. 

“You knew who I was,” Brett whispered. “You always knew? Then why did you…”

Eddy laughed and pulled him close. “Didn’t you hear me? I love you.”

“I don’t understand…”

“I always have, Brett. Even when we were children, I knew I wanted to be with you forever. When you left--when I found out what my father did--I didn’t know what to do. Nothing really mattered anymore. It was all meaningless. But somehow, you came back to me…” 

“But you knew I wanted to hurt you!”

“Maybe. But I wanted to take a gamble, I guess, that you might learn to love me too.”

Eddy smiled at him shyly, imploringly. Brett felt faint; his heart was beating too quickly. 

“I don’t have anything now, but would you consider, perhaps, taking a chance on me?”

Brett laughed helplessly. Or maybe he was crying. He wrapped his arms around Eddy and hid his face in Eddy’s chest. It was silly, now that he thought about it. Was there ever any question? 

“Yes.”   
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been a rollercoaster. I wanted to write it after I saw their baby reaction video, but I was like nah I'm too busy. Then I saw their tiktok yesterday and was like no I need to write it. AND THEN their video this morning almost gave me a heart attack and for a solid minute I was thinking, so do I just abandon this fic and delete everything??? LMAO Pls tell me I wasn't the only one. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed this asian drama fic. I'll stop spamming ao3 now hahaha. Bye!!!


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